Device for tightening wires or rods



Nov. 25, -924. 1,516,748 4 S. L. MODEE DEVICE FOR TIGHTENING WIRES ORRODS Original Filed F p 26, 1912 2 W 1 'mhwm, omuw iitawzg/s Nov. 25,1924. 1,516,748

8. L. MODEE DEVICE FOR TIGHTENING WIRES OR RODS Or ginal File z- 19i2 v2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I i l i l I I '1 77 6 726 19 5. fizvez 07 A l 6566,

Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

t ld flldbll'" SIDNEY L. MODE E, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE- TOEDWARD W. EVERETT, 01?

enreeeo,

rtrrnors.

Application filed February 25, 1912, Seriall No. 679,806. Renewed March17, 1922. Serial No. 544,687.

To cZ'Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY L. Moons, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois. haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Devices for TighteningVii-es or Rods, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for tightening wiresor rods, and is particularly adapted for tightening the wires or rodsused in forming the frame work of concrete buildings wherein said wiresor rods are to be embedded in the concrete. In one method of formingthese concrete buildings, for example, a continuous w're is looped backand forth around supporting pipes or beams. In this construction theentire length of wire must be stretched or tightened so as to permit thewires and tubes or beams to be properly embedded in the cement withoutundue sagging. These wires of necessity are of large diameter andrequire great force to properly stretch them. This has been found inpractice to be a difiicult task and one of the objects of the presentinvention is to provide means for easily and effectively tighteningthese wires.

Referring now to the accomping drawings, I have shown one form of deviceembodying the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of the device;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through a portion of the frame of thebuilding, showing one of the tightening devices in position;

Figure 4c is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 3, showing a portionof the frame of the building, with the continuous wire looped back andforth thereon, and two co-operating devices in position.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

In the construction illustrated, there is provided a bar 1, providedwith teeth 2 and having at one end a hook 3, by means of which the baris fastened to a stationary part, such as a pipe or beam. Mounted uponthe bar 1 so that it may slide therealong is a gripping block 4. Asillustrated, this gripping block or portions thereof, entirely surroundthe bar (see Figure The grip iiing block at is provided at one side witha wire supporting projection A. gripping cam 6 is movably mounted on thepin 7 located above the projection This cam has a roughened surface sothat it will grip the wire and is provided with a. controlling handle 8.hen the handle 8 moved forward, a large part of the cam brought intocontact with the wire so to tightly grip it between the cam and theprojection 5, the tension on the wire increasing the gripping action. Anactuating handle 9 is pivotally connected to the other side of thegripping block, as, for ex ample, by being mounted upon the pin 10. Apivoted dog 11 is pivotally connected to the actuating handle 9 by meansof pin 12, and is provided with an engaging end 13 which engages theteeth 2 on the bar 1. Pivotally connected with the gripping block is adog 14; which is provided with an end 15 which engages the teeth 2 onthe bar 1. The dog 14 is connected to the bar 1 by pin 1.6. It will benoted that the dogs 11 and 14; engage the bar 1 on opposite sides of theactuating handle 9.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 1, l have shown the frame work of aconcrete building consisting of pipes 17 and 18 separated a suitabledistance, and having a continuous wire 19 looped back and forth aboutthe pipes so as to make a proper reinforced wall, floor or ceiling. Inplacing this wire in position, one end is fastened to a fixed part andit is then looped back and forth about the pipes and drawn taut. inusing the device shown in Figures 1 and 2 for stretching the wires, Iprefer to use two of these devices which may be placed side by side asshown in Figure 41, or may be separated at any suitable distance, onebeing clamped to one portion of the wire and the other being clamped toanother portion, the hooks 3 in each case being hooked around the pipe17. A cross piece 20 is preferably connected to one end of the bar 1,said cross piece engaging two or more wires when the device is inposition so as to keep such de vice in an upright position in order thatit may be easily and etficiently operated. As herein shown, this crosspiece passes through an opening in the end of the bar 1.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

When the device is to be used in tightening a continuous Wire used inthe frame work of a concrete building, for example, the wire is firstlaced back. and forth between the tubes '17 andv 1.8. The book 3 of thebar 1. is then hooked over one o f these pipes as for example, pipe 17,and the wire clamped between the cam G and the projection 5, thesupporting piece 20 resting on top of the wires so as to hold the devicein an upright position. Before clamping the wire, the gripping block lis moved up near the front end of the bar 1. After the wire is clamped,one or more operators grasp the actuating handle 9 and move the upperend thereof in a direction away from the hook 3. The end 13 of the dog11 engages one of the teeth 2 so as to prevent the movement of the dogand to force the gripping block 4 along the bar 1. The dog i l carriedwith the gripping block and slides on the beveled face of one. of theteeth 2 and then drops over said tooth so as to engage it, as shown inFigure 1. The handle 9 is then moved in the opposite direction. The dog11 now slides up on the beveled face of one of the teeth 2 and dropsover said tooth into the next space, dog 14: in the meantime preventingthe backward movement of the gripping block l, and hence, of the wire towhich it is connected. The handle is now again moved in a direction awayfrom the hook 3 and the gripping block 4 moved up a distance equal tothe space between the teeth. This movement is repeated until the wire isbrought to the proper tension, or until the dog 14L reaches the lasttooth on the bar. A second de vice see Fig. 4L is now connected with thewire near the point where the first device is connected preferably withan adjacent loop and is then operated so as to tighten the wire. Afterthe wire has been sufficiently tightened, the first device is releasedfrom the wire and connected with it again on the other side of thesecond device and the operation repeated. It will be noted that one ofthe devices holds the wire and prcvents it from becoming loosened againwhile the Other being removed. and again connected with the wire. Thehandle 9 made long so as to multiply the power and it will be seen thatby means of these devices, the wire can be easily and quickly brought toany desired tension and may be held under such tension, and that thisresult can be secured regardless of the length of the wire or the numberof times it is looped about the end supports or pipes.

It will be seen, as illustrated in Fig. 4, that there is a continuouswire looped back and forth around fixed supports, and a plurality ofwire gripping devices adapted to be attached to different loops of thewire, a bar with which each wire gripping device is connected, and ahook connected with each bar by means of which it may be fastened to thefixed support, in the present ease, the tube 17, the gripping devicesbeing successively moved along the bars to tighten the wire.

I claim:

A. wire-tightenin g device comprising a bar having teeth on one sidethereof, means for holding said bar against longitudinal movement whilethe device is being used a gripping-block slidably connected with saidbar and provided with means for gripping the wire, said gripping devicelocated at one side of said bar so that the bar and the wire gripping bythe gripping device are side by side, a handle pivotally connected withsaid gripping block, a dog pivoted to said handle and adapted to engagethe teeth on the bar and a second dog pivoted to said gripping block andadapted to engage the teeth on the bar, and a cross piece connected withsaid bar and adapted to extend across a plurality of wires so as tosupport the device in an upright position.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 24th day of February, 1912.

SIDNEY L. MODEE.

Witnesses MINNIE M. LINDENAU, MINNIE SUNDFAR.

